Panchal leads strong Gujarat reply with unbeaten century

Gujarat 222 for 1 (Panchal 117*, Desai 73) trail Kerala 457 (Azharuddeen 177*, Baby 69, Nizar 52, Nagwaswalla 3-81, Gaja 2-75) by 235 runs

By batting as slow as they did, Kerala effectively put all their eggs in one basket – trying to convert this into a one-innings game. And Gujarat’s strong reply has effectively ensured Kerala may not have enough time to try and force a result if they happen to concede a lead.

Desai was the more stylish of the two, but Panchal was a little more aggressive, unlike his usual self. The opening pair had added 131 when Desai’s attempt to play an expansive drive away from the body had him drag one back onto the stumps as Nedumankuzhy Basil broke through in the 37th over.

That wicket was hardly a deterrent for the batters as Panchal raised his century by stepping out to loft left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate over the long-on boundary. Hingrajia at the other end played largely within himself, in what was an innings of denial for large parts, understandable given how free-flowing Panchal looked since getting past his half-century.

His game against the spin duo of Sarwate and Jalaj Saxena was particularly impressive as he used his feet well, both to smother the spin as well as when he was driving with and against the turn. As the day progressed, there were some rough patches beginning to develop outside off from one end, but they managed to negate that largely.